Member David Rees Posted December 12, 2007 Member Share Posted December 12, 2007 The film has dated badly and some of the acting is terrible, Jhoon Rhee makes Chuck Norris look like Robert De Niro! The high points are when Angela Mao and Whang In Sik get into action, worth getting for Golden Harvest fans and it is cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted December 13, 2007 Member Share Posted December 13, 2007 David Rees said: The film has dated badly and some of the acting is terrible, Jhoon Rhee makes Chuck Norris look like Robert De Niro! The high points are when Angela Mao and Whang In Sik get into action, worth getting for Golden Harvest fans and it is cheap. !!! Now that, that is out of the way, why don't you tell us how you really feel about this film? Chuck Norris and Robert De Niro are four words that should never be mentioned in the same sentence. As for Master Rhee, why don't you attempt taking him on sometime? Perhaps before you submit your next comment? This film is one of the better efforts by GH during this period, and the concentration was on the action, choreographed by the great Sammo. Angela was one of the few women in MA film to convey the thought she may actually be capable of dishing a great deal of punishment. Master Rhee, in his screen debut, was very stoic, but was restrained in the action segments; if you notice, he spent most of his time being shackled, and chained. No one on this set could keep up with this man. Just like the real-life Korean hero he portrayed. Had he gone on and sought an acting career, we may have seen better efforts. There are many others who've made far many more flicks who never advanced beyond what you saw of him in this film. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chinatown Kid Posted December 13, 2007 Member Share Posted December 13, 2007 You probably already know this Dragon but I've read that Rhee got the lead in this film because of his friendship and connection to Bruce Lee. There's no doubt what a great martial artist Rhee is in real life and he is a Grandmaster in TKD but have to say he didn't come off very impressive in this flick to me. Of course as you said he was restrained and shackled with chains in the finale and although a hindrence that still wouldn't effect his main weapons, his legs being a TKD man. Still he seemed to be restrained in what he was allowed to do in the fight scenes and might have been held back by the director/choreographer, I'm sure he was capeable of doing alot more than what we saw in the film. This was Rhee's first film(and only I believe) so you have to cut him some slack for that and him not being an actor as well. Maybe he decided acting wasn't for him after this film and why he never made another? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member David Rees Posted December 13, 2007 Author Member Share Posted December 13, 2007 Goodness calm down! Im sorry but its not a good film! I was in no way criticizing Jhoon Rhee's martial arts expertise , any fool knows what a great martial artist he is, hes just not a good actor , in this film anyhow and he didnt show what he could do in this except for a few kicks. Hapkido is a far superior film in my opinion. Everyone is entitled to an opinion even if you dont like it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted December 13, 2007 Member Share Posted December 13, 2007 Yeah man, i was only spicing things up a bit. No worries. CTK, you may be right in what you're saying, and that is my point. I think he was held back, and GH execs. didn't even want to credit him as Lead until Lee forced his hand. His kicks were fire, and they didn't allow him to strut his stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chinatown Kid Posted December 13, 2007 Member Share Posted December 13, 2007 Yeah even though Rhee was probably held back I don't think it was a bad film, it's worth seeing for Angela and Hwang in Sik's performances, they both had some sweet kicks. I'll tell you one thing though, Carter Wong was miscast in this as it's evident he's not a TKD man, his kicks are pretty ugly lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member KyFi Posted March 14, 2008 Member Share Posted March 14, 2008 I'm not a huge Golden Harvest fan compared to Shaws, but I put this in my last DDDHouse Shaw order, and I LOVED it! I thought the quality of the print was fine---I only have a 30 inch widescreen, and it looked pretty good on my set. A decent widescreen anamorphic print in the original language is all that it takes to make KyFi happy. Golden Harvest may not have had the production values of the Shaws, but the fight choreography and intensity certainly matched anything put out by the Shaws from this period. I liked the story, and this just had a lot of great fight scenes. Angela Mao rocked, and the white girl, Anne Winton (besides being very pretty) looked REALLY good in the fight scenes, IMO. Did she ever do any other movies? Nice work by Sammo, too. Very enjoyable flick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted August 31, 2008 Member Share Posted August 31, 2008 Anyone ever notice Ken Kazama in the lead ad the Japanese boss? How many HK films has he made? I know Kurata was a busy man during this time... Wong Ing Sik was again a Japanese baddie. (Damn the guy has awesome kicking techniques!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Blood Sword Posted February 19, 2010 Member Share Posted February 19, 2010 Yeah even though Rhee was probably held back I don't think it was a bad film, I watched it last nite.Very cool trailer raised my hopes to maximum but it ended to be certainly above average entertainment:smile: Villains were more interesting than heroes.Sammos biting the dust was well and truly deserved:nerd:.I think Rhee was underused other TKD stylists have appeared onscreen far more impressive.There is nice moment in end though when he delivers machine gun kicks:bigsmile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WuxiaFan Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 Sammos biting the dust was well and truly deserved:nerd:.I think Rhee was underused other TKD stylists have appeared onscreen far more impressive.There is nice moment in end though when he delivers machine gun kicks:bigsmile: The Sammo Vs. Mao fights were superb in this film. Another film with incredible Sammo Vs. Mao fights was LADY WHIRLWIND. I thought Rhee did a great job in WTS. This is one of my favorite Angela Mao films, HAPKIDO being my favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted February 20, 2010 Member Share Posted February 20, 2010 ... I thought Rhee did a great job in WTS. The HK production people didn't really want him in this film... He got the opportunity by way of his friend Bruce. He wasn't even given a star billing originally. Lee fought for that as well... Eventually he was given co-billing with Mao Ying. It wasn't because Lee thought he was a star to begin with;it was to promote Tae Kwan Do, by way of this Grandmaster. ...This is one of my favorite Angela Mao films, HAPKIDO being my favorite. She is so awesome in this! I never tire of viewing this film, and love the similaities between it and FOF. Mao Ying was sooo under appreciated by GH studios... Her films made Bank!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jesse Smooth Posted February 21, 2010 Member Share Posted February 21, 2010 Anyone ever notice Ken Kazama in the lead ad the Japanese boss? How many HK films has he made? I know Kurata was a busy man during this time... Wong Ing Sik was again a Japanese baddie. (Damn the guy has awesome kicking techniques!) He fought Fred Williamson in That Man Bolt. Did a Japan-HK co-production Karate From Shaolin Temple with Henry Yu Yung. I think he did the choreography on the Street Fighter films. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted June 5, 2014 Member Share Posted June 5, 2014 Apart from the impressive looking introduction Angela Mao Ying does not show up until almost 25 minutes into the film though she is certainly the star of the film along with Jhoon Rhee. This is the only major acting appearance of the venerable “Father of Taekwondo” and I certainly was surprised to see him. This movie ranks in between the similar anti-Japanese films of Angela Mao and Wong Fung in Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind (both of these are also available from Shout! in a release I recommend). The anti-Japanese sentiment is the worst aspect of the film with the basic revenge plot being rather banal. Set in Korea (filmed in South Korea) this takes place during the time of Japanese occupation which coincidentally is the era in which Jhoon Rhee was born. The fight choreography from Sammo Hung and Chan Chuen is solid and is the highlights of the film though it helps when you have fighters like Whang In-shik, Carter Wong and Angela Mao. If you are looking for storyline or Japanese who are portrayed as humans then you will need to look elsewhere. Shout! Factory’s The Angela Mao Ying Collection: The print from the R1 is worn has a certain amount of flicker throughout, but I doubt you are going to find a better copy. It comes with both the Mandarin and English dub (sounds original.) The back of the case lists these both as 5.1. The English subtitles are not dubtitles. It also comes with a trailer (3:52). Some notes (which will find themselves in a review if I write one) Add this to the pantheon of bad hairdos in the cinematic life of Sammo Hung. It looks like lots of hand-held camerawork was used. This allows some interesting angles. I’ve come to hate most handheld these days because of the overemphasis of shakiness. Another appearance of the Japanese Hitler/Jordan/Chaplin mustache. The use of Manchuria definitely dates this film (that and the use of electric lights .) Angela Mao’s acting has definitely improved since I have seen her in Lady Whirlwind. Ann Winton’s only acting role. Her kicks are good though her punches and combinations need work (not faulting her as she is not an actor.) Seriously everyone but the Japanese are good, even the French. There is more Christian symbolism here than in a John Woo film. There is a pretty fun scene where Chin Yuet-sang backs down from the priest because of a zen-like look he gives. How awesome is Whang In-shik? He performs so well you start wondering how he can lose. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phantom Dreamer Posted May 1, 2018 Member Share Posted May 1, 2018 On 11/17/2007 at 9:53 AM, The Dragon said: This is my joint! Master Jhoon Rhee in his only MA actioner! If you've never seen this film jump at the opportunity to see it now! Thanks for the word on it's release. Now, if we may see the original One Armed Boxer in remastered glory!... RIP Jhoon Rhee 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Ah_Tao Posted May 1, 2018 Member Share Posted May 1, 2018 He was going through a lot towards the end. I hope he found peace, wherever he is now. Osu sir, rest in power 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member saltysam Posted May 4, 2018 Member Share Posted May 4, 2018 (edited) I enjoyed this one. On a sad note, i recently read that the female western girl in this, Anne Winton was murdered by her husband back in 1982. She was just 33 years of age. Edited May 4, 2018 by saltysam 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member saltysam Posted February 23, 2019 Member Share Posted February 23, 2019 Jhoon Ree's only starring role sees him as a korean rebel leader working as a church gardener. When impulsive disciple Carter Wong inadvertently leads the japanese to his wherabouts all hell breaks lose. There's never been much much love for this one, i don't mind it, it's got a good cast (Sammo, Angela Mao, Andre Morgan and the tragic Anne Winton) but part of the problem is it's star Jhoon Ree spends too much time chained up while his allies do the fighting. Decent print on the Shout! DVD. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted February 24, 2019 Member Share Posted February 24, 2019 I quite enjoyed When Taekwondo Strikes - love seeing Angela at her prime, and the supporting cast is awesome. Andre Morgan made up as an old priest is pretty funny. I wonder what happened to Anne Winton... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member NoKUNGFUforYU Posted February 24, 2019 Member Share Posted February 24, 2019 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted February 24, 2019 Member Share Posted February 24, 2019 Damn... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shukocarl1441996347 Posted November 22, 2020 Member Share Posted November 22, 2020 I always found WTS a bit boring when you compare it to (imho) the superior Hap Ki Do but each to there own I suppose, mind you I didn't see it until the early 90's on a pan/scan boot. I'd seen HKD when it was first released in the UK and it had a big impact on me. I bought the WTS dvd but sold it on when it deliver (for me). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted November 22, 2020 Member Share Posted November 22, 2020 10 hours ago, shukocarl1441996347 said: I always found WTS a bit boring when you compare it to (imho) the superior Hap Ki Do but each to there own I suppose, mind you I didn't see it until the early 90's on a pan/scan boot. I'd seen HKD when it was first released in the UK and it had a big impact on me. I bought the WTS dvd but sold it on when it deliver (for me). HI @shukocarl1441996347, would you give the film another chance if a decent WideScreen release came out?. Poor quality pan and scan VHS releases. Gave me a bad first impression of a lot of Hong Kong Martial Art flicks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shukocarl1441996347 Posted November 22, 2020 Member Share Posted November 22, 2020 3 minutes ago, DragonClaws said: HI @shukocarl1441996347, would you give the film another chance if a decent WideScreen release came out?. Poor quality pan and scan VHS releases. Gave me a bad first impression of a lot of Hong Kong Martial Art flicks. No. Like I said, I did have the UK dvd and watched it a couple of times and it still failed to impress. so I sold it on ebay. The performances are wooden, dialogue (dub) is poor. Angela is great as usual but she's the only one who delivers for me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted November 22, 2020 Member Share Posted November 22, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, shukocarl1441996347 said: Angela is great as usual but she's the only one who delivers for me. I agree, Angela Mao carried a lot of the movie and she was on top form. Carter Wong was greatly under-used, I recall him having more screen time in Hap Ki-Do(1972)?. It's been awhile since I watched that movie though. 8 hours ago, shukocarl1441996347 said: The performances are wooden, dialogue (dub) is poor. Yet to see the movie subtitled, I wonder if there were any longer prints released?. Edited November 22, 2020 by DragonClaws 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member saltysam Posted November 22, 2020 Member Share Posted November 22, 2020 The UK DVD is subtitled,i'm pretty sure. I have the USA release. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.